How to Hang BIG Prints for proofing

[DottieC]

Hi

My 44" z3100 comes Monday. I have never worked this large before. I want to be able to take the prints from the printer and hang them from something on the wall to examine them.  I have enough wall space that I can have three big prints hanging on the wall at the same time.

How do people do this? Magnets with handles on them?  Clamps of some sort?

I want to be able to lift the big print from the printer, take it over and hang it from the gadget hanging on the wall and look at it for an hour or a day or two.

Nothing I have seen commercially seems right.

What do you use for this purpose?

Thanks for the help!

                                 Dottie, a big print newbie

[Lisa Nikodym]

OK, here's my ugly but effective (hopefully; I haven't actually tried it) idea for it:

Install a pair of hooks (or 3 or 4, if needed for your max print size) on the wall (cup-holder type hooks, or clothes hooks, or something along those lines) at about the right spacing.  Hang a binder clip from each, with one of binder clip's handles hung around the hook with the clippy part hanging down.  Clip the print into the clippy part.

If you don't like the appearance of them when you aren't using them, you can just take off the binder clips and stash them somewhere nearby, and then you just have unused hooks on the wall.

Lisa

[Brian Gilkes]

I have printed 44" by over 20 feet (6+m) long.
These prints were looked at on the floor, but gallery hung with nice large chrome headed pins every 60 cm or so.
With more manageable beasts, say 44" x 1.5m, I have some foam boards about 1x2m by 5cm thick,  that I use for reflectors in the studio.
The big print are ejected down onto a board. When out, galvanised nails are pushed through the 4 corners of the print, and  sometimes on the long edges, into the board. This is done outside the stroke maks that delineate the border, so the print , when trimmed, is not damaged.
The print can them be lifted into a vertical position for protective spraying, and left for inspection for as long as required.
HTH
Brian
www.pharoseditions.cm.au

[Colorwave]

I just purchased some small spring clamps with magnets attached, and am in the process of installing sheet metal as a wall surface.  With movable clamps that can be positioned anywhere on the wall I will have maximum flexibility.  I don't have it all implemented yet, but think that this will be clean and flexible.
-Ron H.

[TylerB]

a magnetic wall is a very good idea, Phil Bard has one. Amadou Diallo did it with just magnetic paint.
I don't think they even use clips, just magnets to hold proofs/prints down. We just strung some cable the length of the walls, with tensioners, and use large office clips with some paper inside to keep the margins from getting pressure marks from the clips.
Some of our artists wound up hanging shows like that, looks nice.
Ikea has some nice cable wall hardware.
Tyler

[wolfnowl]

As I was reading some of the other suggestions I thought of rare earth magnets.  They come in various sizes and are quite powerful.  Since studs are usually space 16" apart, you could put screws through the drywall into the studs so that the screw heads are flush with the wall surface, and then put up the print and cover with a rare earth magnet.  The binder clips would be a good idea but might mar the surface, especially at the edge.

Mike.

[dkeyes]

I'm planning on installing a thin 1"x10' or longer steel strip painted to match the wall and use magnets to hang the prints. I will weigh down the bottom of the print (if it curls) with loose clamping clips or clips with paper/board to protect the print.

Could do a whole steel wall but too much work and expense. I also like the idea of using metallic paint but don't know if that would attract the magnets strongly enough.

[Colorwave]

I just had a backwards thought:  You could cover the wall in adhesive backed sheet magnet material with a white vinyl face and then use small metal pieces of metal to hold the prints to the wall.  I have a hard time imagining magnetic paint having enough strength to hold a curly photo rag print just off the printer to the wall, but sheet magnets are reasonably strong.
-Ron H.

[Brian Gilkes]

I must try these rare earth magnets. I have tried what are generally regarded as small strong magnets on big prints , but they just haven't done the job, i.e. unless there are dozens of them, the print just falls down . Let's say you have 300gms paper. A 5 sq m print then weighs 1.5 kg. That's a lot for a little magnet. How stong are these rare earth beasts, and where do you buy them?
Cheers
Brian
www.pharoseditions.com.au

[DottieC]

I must try these rare earth magnets. I have tried what are generally regarded as small strong magnets on big prints , but they just haven't done the job, i.e. unless there are dozens of them, the print just falls down . Let's say you have 300gms paper. A 5 sq m print then weighs 1.5 kg. That's a lot for a little magnet. How stong are these rare earth beasts, and where do you buy them?
Cheers
Brian
www.pharoseditions.com.au
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I found the rare earth magnets at:

[a href=\"http://www.magnatag.com/page/WAK/WAKsupply/tack-magnets/?gclid=CJ_49f7fh48CFSBMGgodXkh22g]http://www.magnatag.com/page/WAK/WAKsupply...CFSBMGgodXkh22g[/url]

but, like Tyler, I was worried about pressure marks on the paper. I don't like clips but I like his idea of protecting the print by lining the clips with paper. I could glue those strong earth magnets to a strip of mat board to protect the print. Magnatag also has long magnet bars (expensive, though).

I like the magnet idea. What kind of metal pieces are people attaching to the wall in order to use magnets? (something easy to find, inexpensive, easy to attach, flat and long). I'll look into paint as well.

Thanks for the ideas!

Dottie

[allan67]

What kind of metal pieces are people attaching to the wall in order to use magnets? (something easy to find, inexpensive, easy to attach, flat and long).
Dottie
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=145493\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Hello,

You can try kitchen railings. There are some that are of flat variety.
They are easily attached, come in different lengths (and you can add them afterwards if necessary), and they also look professional - you can choose from various finishes: polished chrome, brushed steel, enamel, etc.

They are also strong enough if you ever decide to hang something more weighty than a photo on them (lighting, framed pictures, etc).

Allan

[dealy663]

I installed long steel strips on my walls. I bought them at Home Depot, they are about 1.25" wide and maybe 1/16" or 1/32" thick. They came in lengths of 2 or 3 feet, and I bought enough to go the length of the walls in my office. I use magnets to hold my prints up, but need to get rare earth magnets, because the store bought ones just aren't strong enough and the prints drift downwards.

One problem I have is with curling. I usually have a fan circulating air in my office and this causes the bottoms of the prints to move and curl. I haven't come up with a good solution for this. I print at different sizes and don't want to put up several rows of the steel strips. I've thought about trying to clip something to the bottoms of the prints to weigh them down, but haven't really come up with something that works yet.

The magnetic paint sounds like a really interesting idea. I'll seriously consider that when I build my new office room.

Derek

[TonyKarp]

I use these:

http://www.posterhanger.com/index.html

They're inexpensive, quick to hang, and reusable. They hang on a single nail or hook. Available in silver or black.

I can have a print on the wall five minutes after it comes out of the printer.

The widest I've used is 5 feet, for a panorama.

I'm about to hang a show of thirty prints using these.

Hi

My 44" z3100 comes Monday. I have never worked this large before. I want to be able to take the prints from the printer and hang them from something on the wall to examine them.  I have enough wall space that I can have three big prints hanging on the wall at the same time.

How do people do this? Magnets with handles on them?  Clamps of some sort?

I want to be able to lift the big print from the printer, take it over and hang it from the gadget hanging on the wall and look at it for an hour or a day or two.

Nothing I have seen commercially seems right.

What do you use for this purpose?

Thanks for the help!

                                 Dottie, a big print newbie
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=145396\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

[wolfnowl]

You can find rare earth magnets of various sizes and shapes at Lee Valley Tools - http://www.leevalley.com/wood/index.aspx?c= (click on 'magnets')

It's a Canadian company - headquarters in Ottawa, but they also ship to the US and internationally.

Incidentally, rare earth magnets are strongest when 'sandwiched' between two pieces of steel.  Lee Valley sells metal 'cups' for this purpose.  As far as pressure marking, there should be no problem attaching felt, fibreboard or some other thin material to the surface of the magnet to alleviate marring.

Mike.

[tomm101]

I either used push pins or painter's tape, low tech but useful. Mostly I had a 60 x 72 table I would rest big prints on and a 48x96 cutting table that I would use in a pinch. The bigesst I'm doing now is 16x24 so no more big tables.

Tom

[Geoff Wittig]

OK, here's my ugly but effective (hopefully; I haven't actually tried it) idea for it:

Install a pair of hooks (or 3 or 4, if needed for your max print size) on the wall (cup-holder type hooks, or clothes hooks, or something along those lines) at about the right spacing.  Hang a binder clip from each, with one of binder clip's handles hung around the hook with the clippy part hanging down.  Clip the print into the clippy part.

If you don't like the appearance of them when you aren't using them, you can just take off the binder clips and stash them somewhere nearby, and then you just have unused hooks on the wall.

Lisa
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=145400\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I use exactly this system, and it works fine. My wife hung a pair of strong spring clips from nails (sorry)! pounded into the wall. They can easily hold 24x36" or larger prints in either portrait or landscape format. It's ugly, but practical. I often end up with five or six prints hanging behind each other, and rotate them to see which one works.

[Jay Kaplan]

If you are renting a commercial space, then the studs are probably made of steel so magnets would work without maring the walls. Just place the magnets every 16" and there should be a metal stud. This applies to new construction and remodeled older building too.

[mballent]

You can find rare earth magnets of various sizes and shapes at Lee Valley Tools - http://www.leevalley.com/wood/index.aspx?c= (click on 'magnets')

It's a Canadian company - headquarters in Ottawa, but they also ship to the US and internationally.

Incidentally, rare earth magnets are strongest when 'sandwiched' between two pieces of steel.  Lee Valley sells metal 'cups' for this purpose.  As far as pressure marking, there should be no problem attaching felt, fibreboard or some other thin material to the surface of the magnet to alleviate marring.

Mike.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=145532\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I would second Lee Valley for a great source for rare earth magnets (and many woodworking tools)...  I have purchased many tools from them over the years.

[framah]

You can also try Edmund Scientific for the RE magnets. I bought a couple once and it was 1" square and 1/4" thick and I put it onto the handle of my file cabinet drawer (full of a years worth of paper!) and pulled the drawer open with the magnet! REALLY strong stuff!

The best idea is the magnetic sheets glued to the wall. You could then get magnetic strips to hold the photos in place.

[SeanPuckett]

I like lee valley a bunch, but their prices are lousy because their primary market is the gentry.

If you're in the States, give Amazing Magnets a shot.
http://www.amazingmagnets.com/